BABYLON BURNING with Jesse I
106.7 PBS-FM > Melbourne, Australia
Saturday 4th January, 2025
My pick of the best new reggae releases of 2024, as aired on Babylon Burning. In recent years I moved away from a numbered countdown, and this year I expanded the reggae recap to the full two hours, allowing me to fit in multiple cuts on a riddim where I felt it was warranted.
Protoje was my personal favourite artist of the year. It’s rare that I like everything an artist puts out, but I enjoyed all of his tunes this year. Likewise, I enjoyed everything that Lila Ike released, though all of her songs this year were in a combination with someone else. The breakthrough artists of 2024 would have to be Jah Lil and Rik Jam – both have been around for several years now, but they definitely stepped up their output in 2024. Iotosh also deserves mention here, and he will definitely be one to watch in coming years. YG Marley’s crossover hit “Praise Jah In The Moonlight” was actually released in 2023, but it was so popular in 2024 that I had to include it here – it even reached number 19 on the Australian ARIA chart. See below for an extensive ‘honourable mentions’ list.
THE BEST REGGAE OF 2024
HAILE – Love and Clarity (Nyahbinghi Mix) (Zonah World & A Separate Group)
HAILE – Pure Blue (Zonah World & A Separate Group)
IOTOSH – Perfection (Sound Ting)
COLLIE BUDDZ – Own Business (Harper Digital)
PEETAH MORGAN – Who Run The World (Full Bloom riddim: Zion I Kings)
ARKAINGELLE & JALIFA – Too Dread (Full Bloom riddim: Zion I Kings)
MICAH SHEMAIAH – Dis Ya Rockers (Full Bloom riddim: Zion I Kings)
REEMAH – Greatest Thing (Full Bloom riddim: Zion I Kings)
REEMAH – What Goes Around (Mafia & Fluxy)
REEMAH – Big Fraud (Feel Line Records)
ALPHEUS – Evil Man (Unify: Liquidator)
AKAE BEKA – Going On A Mission (Living Testament: Trinity Farm Productions & Go A Chant)
THE BROWN BOYS & KA’IKENA SCANLAN – Roots and Culture (Rubbah Slippah Productions)
DERAJAH – Wicked Man (JahWise Productions & Nusantara Records)
BUGLE, DAMIAN MARLEY, BUJU BANTON – Thank You Lord (Apex: An9ted Entertainment)
BUSY SIGNAL – Steam Chalice (Nuh Rush Records)
BUSY SIGNAL – Jah You Know (Brimstone riddim: Dutty Rock Productions)
BUSHMAN – Show I The Way (Brimstone riddim: Dutty Rock Productions)
J WRITTEN – Work To Do (Kaleidoscope: Tafari Records)
JAH LIL – Above Water (Out Deh Records)
JAH LIL – End Of War (Big Scoop Records)
RIK JAM – Hail The King Forever (Irie Yute Tapes)
RIK JAM – Caution (Irie Yute Tapes)
LUTAN FYAH – We Want World Peace (Mista Savona)
ZIGGI RECADO – Jungle (Nayamari Music)
QUEEN OMEGA, CHEZIDEK, U BROWN – Three The Hard Way (Irie Ites)
PERFECT GIDDIMANI & YOUNG SHANTY – Got Trees (Sinky Beatz)
KABAKA PYRAMID & RYGIN KING – Believe (Reggae Remix) (Bebble Rock & Ghetto Youths International)
GENTLEMAN – Watch Over Me (Finally riddim: Don Corleon)
KIMECO – El Shadai (Finally riddim: Don Corleon)
TARRUS RILEY – It Nuh Mek Sense (Finally riddim: Don Corleon)
IKAYA – God’s Favourite (Sweet 7 riddim: A-Team Lifestyle & Usain Bolt)
JAZ ELISE – Gunman (Ineffable Records)
JHAY FAJ & JALIFA – Rastafarian (Music Therapy: JhayFaj Music Enertainment)
VERHSON – Mankind Bless (Quiet Storm & Yellow Leo)
MORTIMER – My Child (Overstand & Easy Star Entertainment)
ROYAL BLU, KABAKA PYRAMID, THE AUTOS – Light My Way (Easy Star Records)
PROTOJE & JAHSHII – Where We Come From (In.Digg.Nation Collective & Izy Beats)
PROTOJE – 80s Wild (The Jamaican Situation Side A: In.Digg.Nation Collective)
PROTOJE – Barrel Bun (The Jamaican Situation Side A: In.Digg.Nation Collective)
PROTOJE – Legend Legend Legend (Zion I Kings Remix) (In.Digg.Nation & Zion I Kings)
YG MARLEY – Praise Jah In The Moonlight (Fifty Six Hope Road Music)*
LILA IKE & JOEY BADA$$ – Fry Plantain (In.Digg.Nation & Wurl Ike Records)
HONOURABLE MENTIONS:
ADREYN CASH – Web Of Love (Orange Hill & Zinc Fence)
AFRIKAN SIMBA – Freedom Struggle (Reality Shock Records)
AFRIKAN SIMBA & MIKEY GENERAL – Freedom Struggle (Reality Shock Records)
AKAE BEKA – Cream Of Joy (Living Testament: Trinity Farm Productions & Go A Chant)
AKAE BEKA – Who Will Go For Us (Trinity Farm Productions & Go A Chant)
ALAIN – Pile Up (Sweet 7 riddim: A-Team Lifestyle & Usain Bolt)
ALBOROSIE & JAZ ELISE – Faith (VP Records)
ALPHEUS – Unify (Unify: Liquidator)
ANCIENT WARRIOR – Love Is Like A Mountain (Mista Savona)
ANTHONY B – Inna De Revolution (Strictly Culture 23 riddim: Blacker Dread)*
ANTHONY JOHNSON & RANDY VALENTINE – Behold (Buzwakk Records)
AZA LINEAGE – My Mother (Jam 2)
BAYONICS, SENECA, THE MYSTIC REVELATION OF RASTAFARI – Can’t Be How It Is (City Roots Ent)
BLING DAWG – Spliff Today (Young Pow)
BRUTHA RODZ & ISRAEL STARR – Burning (Brutha Rodz meets Israel Starr at the Foothills of Mt Raupehu: BlessUp Music)
BRUTHA RODZ, ISRAEL STARR, CJ RUKA – Political Lies (Maoribank riddim: Maoribank Creatives Ltd)
BUGLE – Promise (Apex: An9ted Ent)
BUGLE & CAPLETON – Hopes (Small World) (Apex: A9ted Ent)
BUSY SIGNAL & CAPLETON – Nuh Trust (DND: Jiggy D Entertainment)
BUSY SIGNAL – In Every Country (River Nile Entertainment)
CHEZIDEK – Action Man (Irie Ites)
CHRISTOPHER ELLIS – Lessons Of Love (Silly Walks Discotheque)
CHRISTOPHER ELLIS – Miss You (Ghetto Youths International)
CHRISTOS DC & THE LIGERIANS – Shadow of Perception (SoulNurse Records & Honest Music)
CHRONIC LAW – One Dream (Survivors Guilt riddim: Notnice)
THE CO-OPERATORS & DENNISON JOSEPH – More Fire (Sounds From The Fridge: Waggle Dance Records)
THE CO-OPERATORS & PERKIE – Over Yonder (Sounds from the Fridge: Waggle Dance Records)
THE CO-OPERATORS, REBEKAH, IAMBE – Beneath The Sun (Sounds from the Fridge: Waggle Dance Records)
D’YANI – Hard Ears (God’s Timing Music)
DAMIAN JR GONG MARLEY – Banner (Ghetto Youths International)
DEZARIE – Lion Is Lion (Dezarie Music)
DUKE OF ROOTS & TARRUS RILEY – Pressure Drop (Duke Of Roots: Migration Records & Young Pow Productions)
DUMIS9NE, STEPART, IMERU TAFARI – Feeling Irie (Timeless: Hologram Records)
EN YOUNG & ROYAL BLU – Come With Fire (Roots Musician Records)
ETANA – Grateful (Freemind riddim: Freemind Music)
FALLE NIOKE, CONGO NATTY, MANU DIGITAL – The Children Of Shaka (Digital UK Session: X-Ray Production & Manudigital)
FIKIR AMLAK – Vampire (Most High Records)
FIKIR AMLAK & IZOARDI – Pay Day (Steppaz: Strange Land Records)
FITZROY LEE – Poor and Hungry (New Earth riddim: Astro Melody Records)
GINO NAYNA – On A Mission (JH Records)
I-TAWEH – Let I Go (Musically Speaking: Tap Nat Muzik)
I OCTANE – Burning Fire (Picture Frame riddim: John John)
IMERU TAFARI – Anguish (The Essential: Koastal Kings & DubShot Records)
IMERU TAFARI & QUEEN IFRICA – I Love Rastafari (Koastal Kings)
IMERU TAFARI & SAMORY I – Protect My Soul (The Essential: Koastal Kings & DubShot Records)
IMERU TAFARI, IOTOSH, KABAKA PYRAMID – Vortex (The Essential: Koastal Kings & DubShot Records)
INDI ALLEN – Good Vibes Only (Oasis: Indie Allen)
INEZI – Mind Check (Addis Records)
INI KAMOZE & LILA IKE – I Want You (XTM.Nation & DubShot)
INTRESTT & LUTAN FYAH – High Like The Cloud (Hits 38 Production)
IOTOSH – The Cure (For The People) (For The People: Sound Ting)
IOTOSH & PROTOJE – Fill My Cup (Sound Ting)*
IRIE SOULJAH & MEDISUN – So Far (Ineffable Records)
J WRITTEN & ALBOROSIE – Fear To Understand (Kaleidoscope: Tafari Records)
JAH LIL – Currency Called Time (Out Deh Records)
JAH LIL – Hold Corner (Bebble Rock Records)
JAH LIL – Step By Step (Out Deh Records & Sinky Beats)
JAH LIL – Warn Yuh (XTM.Nation & DubShot)
JAH9 – Match (VP Records)
JAHRIFFE & JALIFA – Iron Sharpen Iron (JahRiffe)
JAHSHII & LILA IKE – Blessings (Slyda Di Wizard & Romeich)
JESSE ROYAL, KUMAR, JAH IZREHL, IMERU TAFARI – Live Like Selassie (Boxy Records)
JHAZAHRA – True Mi Bad (Treydrumz)
JOE YORKE & THE CO-OPERATORS – Downbeat Melody (Waggle Dance Records)
JORJA SMITH & MORTIMER – Greatest Gift (Camp Habitat Remix) (Falling Or Flying deluxe: FAMM)
JUNIOR DREAD – Leaders (Irie Ites)
KA$E – Perfect Storm (Cre8ive Tribe)
KHALIA – Addicted (Albion Music)
KUMAR & THE 18TH PARALELL – Never Give Up (Tales Of Reality: Easy Star & Fruits Records)
KUMAR & THE 18TH PARALELL – Salvation (Tales Of Reality: Easy Star & Fruits Records)
KY-MANI MARLEY – New Creature (Konfrontation Muzik & Dubshot Records)
LENGUALERTA, NAI-JAH, ALPHA STEPPER – Ceasefire Now (Steppas Records)
LIKKLE JORDEE – Wake Up (Likkle Jordee)
LILA IKE & HER – He Loves Us Both (RCA Records & In.Digg.Nation Collective)
LINVAL THOMPSON – Bound To Fall (Easy Star & Quan Records)
LUCIANO – What We Gonna Do (Jah Wise & Nusantara Records)
LUTAN FYAH – Bad Dawg (Resilience riddim: Kushite Organic Records)
LUTAN FYAH – My Heart Cries (Clive Hunt)
MARCUS GAD & ZULU VIBES – Babylon Nuh Care (Zulu Vibes & Sudar Publishing)
MEDISUN – Discrimination (Hits 38 Production)
MEDISUN – Extra Heavy (Extra Heavy riddim: Green Lion Crew)
MICHAEL ROSE, HOLLIE COOK, SUBATOMIC SOUND SYSTEM – Happy Is The Man Who Finds Wisdom (DubShot Records & Controlled Substances)
THE MIGHTY GRAVILLONS & THE 18TH PARALLEL – Crumbling World (Fruits Records)
MORTIMER, KABAKA PYRAMID, LILA IKE – Bruises (Overstand & Easy Star)
MORTIMER – Heavy (Overstand & Easy Star Entertainment)
MORTIMER – Not A Day Goes By (Overstand & Easy Star Entertainment)
NADIA McANUFF & THE LIGERIANS – Holy (Shelter From The Storm: SoulNurse Records)
NADIA McANUFF & THE LIGERIANS – Shelter (Shelter From The Storm: SoulNurse Records)
NGA HAN – Good To Know (Rebellion City Productions)
NGA HAN – More Blessings (Fat Puffin)
NGA HAN – Until War (Temple In Man: Majestic Vision, Roots Unity, Tetra Ark Records)*
NORRIS MAN – Bun Babylon (Free Man: Tads)
OLAF BLACKWOOD & SHAGGY – Pull Up Selector (Badman riddim: Ranch Entertainment)
PEETAH MORGAN – Better World (Soul Rebel Sound)*
PERFECT GIDDIMANI – Bob Marley Reggae (Giddimani Music & Sinky Beats)
PERFECT GIDDIMANI – Chalice Face (Sinky Beatz)
PERFECT GIDDIMANI – Rastafari To The World (Free Jah Jah Children riddim: Galaxy Soundstation)
PERFECT GIDDIMANI – Reason (Irie Ites)
PERFECT GIDDIMANI – Worthy For Jah (Giddimani Music & Sinky Beats)
PINNACLE SOUND, EMANUEL & THE BIONITES – Deep Wata (Still Dread: Bat Records)
PROTOJE – 30 Million (In.Digg.Nation & Ineffable)
PROTOJE – Legend Legend (Ineffable Records)
QUEEN OMEGA – Loyalty (Jahwise Productions)
QUEEN OMEGA & NATURE MAKONNEN – Resilience (Kushite Organic Records)
RANDY VALENTINE – Love Is In The House Of Life (Troots Music)
RAS DEMO & KRAK IN DUB – Zion Gate (Evidence Music)
RAS FRASER JR & NATTY KING – Disgrace (I Am Conscious: Wide Awake Music)
RAS FRASER JR & PERFECT GIDDIMANI – Burn Down Babylon (I Am Conscious: Wide Awake Music)
RAS TEO & THE NATURALS – Bil Back (King Solomon Records)
RC – One A Way (Warriors Don’t Cry riddim: Penthouse)
REEMAH – As Far As I Can See (Roots and Culture riddim: Silly Walks)
RENIGAD & ASTYLE ALIVE – Blaze Up (Bad People Productions)
RIK JAM – Journey (Irie Yute Tapes)
ROBERT LEE – Sound A Go Dead (Dem A Fight riddim: Grubby Mitts)
ROE SUMMERZ – Oouu! (Green Lion Crew)
ROMAIN VIRGO – Just Like That (The Gentle Man: VP Records)
ROMAIN VIRGO & CAPLETON – You Must Pay (The Gentle Man: VP Records)
ROMAIN VIRGO & JESSE ROYAL – Bridges (The Gentle Man: VP Records)
ROOTZ UNDERGROUND, WINSTON McANUFF, CEDRIC MYTON – Love For All (Tattooin Beat)
SAMORY I – Clouds (Strength – Deluxe: Overstand & Easy Star)
SAMORY I – You Will Know (Strength – Deluxe: Overstand & Easy Star)
SAMORY I – Kingston Heat (Strength – Deluxe: Overstand & Easy Star)
SHUGA – My Guide (Warriors Don’t Cry riddim: Penthouse)
SIZZLA – Never Stop Try (Bogan Villa riddim: 12 Yaad Records & Zion Productions)
SOULMEDIC – Firm and Militant (Jah Kebra Music)
SPICE – Sitt’n Fi Chat (Badman riddim: Ranch Entertainment)
STRANJAH MILLER – Too Hot (Too Hot riddim: Street Rockaz)
T’JEAN – Hail Jah (AI (Ancient Intelligence) (Izreal Records & Jdeacs Records)
T’JEAN – Mother Earth (AI (Ancient Intelligence) (Izreal Records & Jdeacs Records)
TAJ WEEKES & ZION ALBERT – All Things Shall Pass (Eyes To See: Jatta Records)
TAJ WEEKES & ZION ALBERT – Cornerstone (Eyes To See: Jatta Records)
TATIK – Far Away (Stick With You riddim: DJ Densen & Oneness Records)
TERRY LINEN & ANTHONY RED ROSE – Heathen (Tads)
THE FLYING VIPERS – Show Me (Easy Star Records)
THE HAPPY SUFFERER – Once Upon A Time Girl (The Happy Sufferer)
TRIBAL SEEDS & HEMPRESS SATIVA – Wicked and Riled (Ancient Blood: Tribal Seeds Music)
TRIBAL SEEDS & THE TWINKLE BROTHERS – Bondage (Ancient Blood: Tribal Seeds Music)
U BROWN & AL CAMPBELL – Ruff Ina Dis Ya Time (Still Chanting Rub-A-Dub: Irie Ites)
WINSTRONG – Khaki Suit (Harvest For Life riddim: Ambassador Musik)
YG MARLEY – Survival (YG Marley Music)
listen online at https://www.pbsfm.org.au/program/babylon-burning/2025-01-04/17-00-00